no ticks no show

So it turns out that the ACO concert I wanted to attend sold out. Or to be more precise, it sold out two weeks ago! Gee thanks for letting me know ACO or Canberra Ticketing ...
At any rate I got along to the multi-cultural festival which was pleasant. VJ wasn't there cause "it's for whiteys". Had a hot dog from Chile (which in the native toungue is apparantly el hotdog with the lot), a tamale from El Salvadore (spinich, was pretty bland), some paella from Spain (which was tasty although a bit burnt) aaannd some sangria (also from the Spain booth) which was tasty.
Then saw Emma clog away as the rain came down before we (Steph and I) dashed through the downpour to Llewellyn Hall where we were promptly turned away... :|

ACMA is quite pleasant. Working on a paper which is a good introductory task as I'm exposed to the "administrative process", have to learn about the topic itself, and is well suited to my skill set so I'm not out of depth.

Ended up not getting tickets to the Grand Final in Melbourne, mainly because VJ bailed, Gof was busy, and Kenny is a whipped, married Christian. In addition the price was also a significant factor as was the fact that the only tickets available at 11am (sales opened at 9) were up in the stratosphere.

Thanks to these two planned events falling through I'm probably going to get tickets to Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake today or tomorrow to, as they say, avoid disappointment. Tickets are more expensive than I realised on closer inspection ($140) if you want to avoid sitting in the very front or very last row. Looks like the date will be in March.

Tomorrow night I will go along to my first Ballet lesson. It actually started last week I hadn't realised, but it doesn't matter too much since last week I was busy with the Grad Dinner and my ankle was still pretty weak. As a matter of fact it is still less than ideal. Hmm... I will miss summer comp too, but as you might predict, I hadn't intended to attend anyway.

ACMA hours are working out really well for me. I'm not tired and a go in late, come home late schedule suits me to a tee. No traffic, no rush, sweet. The nice dress shirt I bought is too long in the sleeves, what a bother. Maybe I'll see if I can get it shortened slightly since it is really a very nice shirt. I wore the Beijing Olympic cuffs Amy bought for my brother and I as gifts (there was also a visor... which I also have claimed hehe, nothing left for the stupid one) and they are sweet and shiny.

Finally had my final ever Centrelink visit (hopefully) at lunch today to claim my working credits, which were significantly reduced due to level of income ($602 to $300). But worth it since it will pay for my Swan Lake ticket, or maybe those gold Royals I have been dreaming about.

Workin

So here I am at ACMA. First 3 days are pretty smooth. Being a grad is pretty easy. I like the area I am in and the fit seems pretty good. There are derivative instruments, little p policy, and plenty of economics involved - although in both cases my degrees serve me with background more than hands on economic decisions and legal skills. Learning about new tech is pretty cool, esp since as a hi-fi buff I can learn about hdtv, broadband, digital radio, mobile telecoms and be abreast of the cutting edge tech that is introduced at the industry end.

First pay cheque came early which is cool, and means i'll have a flow of income every week for 4 weeks from various sources. Just as well, since no doubt I will burn through it all as always. First on the agenda is A-League Grand Final in Melbourne. Costs before expenses are $300... thats pretty expensive for a single football game. But it will be in the dome, with a new record crowd, and if it's vs Newcastle could potentially be a 7 goal thriller! Normally the cost wouldn't even be an issue but VJ is being lame and bailed hence i'm thinking about it a bit more practically. He's still uber lame though. YOU HEAR ME VJ?! YOU ARE SO LAME!! He is probably busy laying a bet on Bolivian Mud Wrestling or some crap.

Next is ACO this weekend which should be cool. How good does $10 million worth of violin sound? I'll let you know. $33 for under-30 ticks is awesome. Then in march I'll try and get to Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake in Sydney. I stupidly didn't check the times properly and mistakenly thought it was 1 week only in February, but there are plenty more dates in March. March, April and May will be trips to Sydney for Asian Champions League football, then in the last weeks of June 2 trips to Sydney for the Paris Ballet. And then, hopefully, Asian Cup in Thailand! Busy, busy, busy... Hmm... maybe I should budget that schedule, I have an inkling I might be biting off more than I can chew.

Soccer starts in 2 weeks. Will be good to get into preseason. It's usually my favorite part of the soccer year, the weather is perfect in the early evening, and it's just a jog and getting touch in and playing after a lay off. I havent played for the last few weeks and this one since I'm still recovering from a rolled ankle at Summer Mixed Comp which hasn't been as awesome as in years gone past, but still a nice diversion.

Went in early today to watch the Socceroos get thrashed by Denmark. Australia played well, but 3-1 is a thrashing. Had Thwaite's goal been allowed and Sterjovski's cannoned shot off the bar gone in that would have been 3-3. Went over to Vj's with intent to watch the game again from a Danish perspective since they played 4-3-3 and very effectively, but am a bit bushed from the early start so I'll get it on dvd off of him later along with some other games from the world cup I've been meaning to go over. I used the ANUFC coaches meeting last week to grill Rod (the tech director) about 4-3-3. It took a while but eventually we were able to figure out the role of a screening midfielder by defining and solving situations in 4-3-3 vs 4-4-2. Now I am much more confident of successfully deploying the formation. The final thing will be to hold on to the good players I have and get some more in for those I can't! Ian was at the game this morning and mentioned he wants to go and hug polar bears followed by aborigines and miss half the season...